[maxkinzie]

Hi,
In light of recent news, we decided to spend the $ and get one the the Britax seats with the 5 pt harness. Maybe I just havent' seen these posted about on here, but what do y'all know about the "Booster Carseats" by Eddie Bauer, Graco etc that are about half the cost WITH the 5 pt harness?
Thanks!!!
Max

[mumofone]

Our younger two are in the Eddie Bauer 5-point harness seats, and they are beautiful seats. We got ours at Toys R Us on sale for $119.00 plus tax.

Our older son is in a Graco booster seat.

I have no problems with either of them.

[nycfsa]

I love, love, love the Eddie Bauer seat. We have the Britax too; older son uses the EB and younger one uses the Britax. I can't wait to get rid of the Britax. It's so bulky. My older son isn't quite ready to move to the belt-positioning booster yet, though. I think he has to be 40 pounds for that and he's only 35 pounds.

[sugarbabysmommy]

Are you talking about the Britax Regent seat meant for kids weighing between 20 and 80 pounds?

The difference is that it is a five point seat harness for kids up to 80 pounds whereas the Eddie Bower and the Graco are used as five point seats until the child reaches 40 pounds and then seats need to be converted to boosters seats. The backs of the Graco and Eddie Bower need to come off and the bottom "booster" portion is used with the car's seat belt for the child up to 100 pounds.

We have a Britax Regent, it's a beast of a seat, but my kid likes it and it feels very secure. I can't imagine putting my kid in a booster with the car seat belt, my child wouldn't be restrained for very long, the seat belt would be loose or off right quick.

[mumofone]

Sugar, our Eddie Bauer seats go right up to 80 lbs. They convert into booster seats, which is one of the reasons we bought them. Our Graco booster also goes up to 80 lbs.

[sugarbabysmommy]

Originally Posted by mumofone

Sugar, our Eddie Bauer seats go right up to 80 lbs. They convert into booster seats, which is one of the reasons we bought them. Our Graco booster also goes up to 80 lbs.

Do the instructions for your two seats actually say they can be used with the five point harness for a child weighing up to 80 pounds? Because when I checked the web site for both Graco and Eddie Bauer the descriptions are very vague for the weight limits for the five point harness. Here's the info from the Graco site for instance:

"Children older than a year and 27" to 43" and between 20 and 40 lbs will rest comfortably in the seat in a 5-point harness. Then, when you're child is not so little - - between 35" and 54' and between 30 and 100 lbs - the harness may be removed and the Ultra CarGo™ becomes a belt positioning booster booster which you can use in combination with your car's belt/lap shoulder belt system to restrain your child."

The reason we bought the Britax seat is because we didn't want a booster, I've never seen a toddler or little kid be restrained by one- too much seat belt slack and the kids I know are always moving the car seat belts under their arms. So the ability of these seats to be used as a booster has no appeal for us, but I would have looked at them if they could actually be used for big kids with the five point harness. My understanding is that the Britax Regent is the only five point harness rated for kids up to 80 pounds.

[traceyk]

Yeah, i don't know what we have, but it goes to 80 pounds. if the 5 pt harness doesn't go that high I will be getting the Britax after watching 2 videos on youtube. You can see them by going to the site and search 5 point car seta. I was crying after watching them. They are NOT graphic, just VERY moving.

[redfred]

We recently purchased the Sunshine Kids carseat that can go to 65 pounds in a 5 point harness. (There is also one that goes to 80 lbs in the 5 point harness as well.) My oldest 2 kids are tall and super, super skinny - my 6 year old is only 32 lbs. Although nearly all "professionals" said that it is ok to put her in a booster, my mommy instinct SCREAMED that she is not big enough...there is ALWAYS a large gap between her tiny body and the seatbelt. I LOVE our new seats and the kids have about four more inches above their shoulders before they outgrow these new seats. Sunshine Kids got their engineers from Britax, and the actual seats are not as wide as the Britax ones. I would HIGHLY reccomend this car seat.

One other thought...I had been told that if you must use a booster, you can pull the seatbelt all the way out so it locks (like you do when you install a regular carseat) before you buckle in your child. That way the kids cannot pull the seat belt loose when you're driving.

[rjsmom]

We just got the Britax Regent and like Sugar said it is a beast of a car seat. We have large vehicles so the size isn't an issue. Our biggest reason for going with the Britax was because we do a lot of 4 wheeling/rock crawling stuff and I wanted DS to be in a 5 point harness as long as possible.

[maxkinzie]

Hi,
I thought what I'd found originally was a booster seat with the harness of a carseat. They were different from what was in the "carseat" and "booster seat" sections. Maybe they're new? BabiesRUs had a separate little section for them, saleslady didn't know anything about them...

Gonna go investigate some more

thanks

[maxkinzie]

So I called Eddie B and Graco about this, one just read the on-line info to me, and the other said that there was no such thing as a five pointer for kids over 40 lbs.

Then I called a major baby store, not babieSRUs, and they said the Britax Regent and a Sunshine Kids ones both went to 80 with a 5 pt. Biggest diff is the Britax allows for a few more inches heightwise (think it was Britax)

[DPline]

Originally Posted by maxkinzie

So I called Eddie B and Graco about this, one just read the on-line info to me, and the other said that there was no such thing as a five pointer for kids over 40 lbs.

Just as an FYI, Britax also has the Decathlon and the Boulevard that go up to 65 lbs with a five point harness.

[allanacw]

Check your local car seat laws, as well. Our laws dictate they have to be in a car seat until 40 lbs but can be moved to a 5 point booster at 30 lbs. After 40 lbs they can be in a straight booster, and they graduate from that when they reach 4 ft 9, 65 lbs or the age of 8. My dd turns 8 in November but is only 43 lbs. I'm going to wait and see how tall she is and where the shoulder belt hits her before officially moving her out. We use the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite convereted to a booster seat.

We just bought the Britax Marathon (only the Regent and Marathon are available in Canada, it's illegal to import the others from the US) because of the online reviews and safety ratings for my four month old. He's so big I anticipate having to buy a "big kid booster" by the time he's two.

Allana

[WhoKnew]

FYI - I believe various organizations like the Academy of Pediatrics and National Trasportation and Safety Board recommend using a booster until the child is 80 pounds and 4'9" or 4'10" (depending on the source)

Here is a link to the CDC's recommendation of 4'10" and 80 lbs.

Booster Seats, Research Update on

My 9, almost 10-year old daughter rides in a half-booster seat (no back) as she is still only about 65 lbs. soaking wet. She doesn't mind at all.

[mumofone]

Our Eddie Bauer seats are the 5-point harness seats and are good for 80 lbs., but maybe I confused you guys. It converts to a booster at 40 lbs. The will still be tethered though.

The Graco one is a booster seat and also good for 80 lbs. and also tethered.